Temporary farming exhibit opens at Wyoming Territorial Prison

A temporary exhibit focusing on the history of farming in Wyoming opens at the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Park June 8 and will remain on display through July 31.

Titled, “It Takes Weather, Water and Work: Farming in Wyoming,” the Wyoming State Museum travelling exhibit contains 23 panels representing the challenges of farming in Wyoming.

The “Farming in Wyoming” traveling exhibit compliments the historic site’s permanent exhibit “Science on the Range” which showcases the research conducted by University of Wyoming’s College of Agriculture on the site for 86 years.

When European Americans arrived in Wyoming many hoped to make a living growing crops. Farmers everywhere faced the challenges of bad weather, destructive insects, unpredictable prices and long hours of hard work. In Wyoming, farmers also had to overcome the state’s high altitude, dry climate and very short growing season. Farmers in the 21st century still face the same problems.

“UW’s Experiment Station’s crop and soil research focused on developing solutions for profitable and sustainable agricultural practices for Wyoming’s farmers and ranchers,” says Deborah Amend, site superintendent. “The traveling exhibit focuses on the difficult situations that farmers face while trying to succeed.”

What does it take to successfully farm in Wyoming? It takes weather, water and work. The exhibit’s topics such as foods harvested by Native Americans, the state’s arid climate, the importance of irrigation, sugar beets, and modern farming are addressed through text, historic photographs and illustrations.